National Novel Writing Month: Dispatches From My Living Room: #2

--by Hanje Richards

Since my first blog post about participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), I have gotten a wide range of responses, from: “Why would you do that to yourself?” to complete excitement and support. I have also discovered three people that I personally know (in real life) who are also signed up for NaNoWriMo.

At the library, we’ve scheduled some events for other Bisbee-area NaNoWriMo participants, including the Tuesday NaNoCon Circle (with Con being short for Conversation), which will meet from 10 – 11:30am and offer an opportunity to share NaNo experiences – both good and bad – with other participants. The Circle will be facilitated by Yours Truly.

We’ve also designated the Library Meeting Room as a Quiet Write space for 16.5 hours per week during the month of November – except for holidays, including Veterans’ Day (November 11) and the long Thanksgiving weekend (November 25-28), when the library will be closed. Quiet Write space is offered to provide a place to bring your creativity – and your laptop, notebook, pen and paper, and other necessities. Wi-Fi is available, and reference materials are at your fingertips in the library. (Of course, you’re always welcome to use the library at other times as well, but the Meeting Room itself might not be available, due to other programming commitments.)

If you are in the Bisbee area and are thinking about participating in NaNoWriMo, be sure to pick up a flyer at the library!

If you are signed up for NaNoWriMo and are learning your way around their website, I would love it if you would “buddy” me. I am on there as author: Hanje. I will maintain your anonymity unless you give me permission to use your name, your initials, or whatever name you are using for NaNoWriMo.

We would love to see your NaNo comments on the library’s Facebook page, and I’d love comments on my personal blog (depending upon where you are reading this).

A little about how I am feeling about this experience, with one week of preparation time left:

I am alternately excited and nervous.

As of Saturday afternoon, I had NO CLUE what I was going to write about. By Sunday morning, with the encouragement of a two-word comment, I have started to mentally outline, and waves of inspiration have been hitting me at various points.

On a more practical note:

1) I have been working on November library blog posts, with the intention of having all of them completed by next Sunday night. (This excludes the posts I'll be writing throughout the month on NaNoWriMo);

2) I’ve returned all my “7 Day” library books and have refrained from checking any DVDs out of the library. (You must understand that I still have Netflix, TV, and any other books from the library – as well as all of my own books – so I am hardly depriving myself of distraction and enjoyment; I am just reducing the stress!);

3) According to the rules, I am allowed to outline and plot and create my characters before the contest officially starts. I have started doing that mentally but will probably start putting some of that down on paper in the next couple of days;

4) I've started creating my “survival kit” and my “commandments” – which I will share with you later in the week;

5) Oh, and most important of all – I am telling all of you. You are my safety net, my backup plan. When things get grim, I have a responsibility to you. I have the fear of ridicule and harassment from you if I fail to meet my goals – or at least fail to give it everything I have committed to give it.